Hetaverse. Germany and Player 2 Germany centric. No pairings.

A/N: For eryv who requested a story about Ludwig with a dark alter ego or something similar who had prompted him/caused the turmoil of WWII. I hope you like it!

The first thing Ludwig noticed was the pain; the agonizing, searing pain that tortured every square inch of his writhing flesh. He gasped, whipping his head to the side as he struggled to fill his burning lungs. The air was thick and acrid, like smoke, and all around he could hear screams that could have very well been his own.

"Open your eyes." The voice was commanding, but it held a mocking note that seemed to relish his suffering. Haunted eyes snapped open to rest upon a face that sent cold shivers running down Ludwig's back in droves.

"H-how is this-?"

A cruel sneer marred the young features of the nation's tormentor as lavender eyes narrowed into gleeful slits. "You recognize me. Good."

"What are you?" Ludwig hissed, barely able to open his mouth without wanting to vomit for the pain. Gritting his teeth stubbornly, he forced out the word, "Doppelgänger?"

"That would be bad, ja? A man doesn't see his doppelgänger unless he's going to die." The smirk lengthened, twisting savagely.

Fighting back another wave of nausea, the German rolled onto his stomach and gripped at the charred grass until he felt as though his fingers would break. "Then what are you?"

"I am what I look like," he explained, the guise of sanity slowly giving way. "I am you."

Rising from his crouched position, the imposter strutted about, adjusting the jacket draped across his shoulders in a mimicry of Ludwig's usual style. When he tugged imperiously at the bill of his military-style cap, the nation became aware of the vicious scar that trailed down his cheek, speaking of a hard-fought battle and the loss of some sort of rational logic. It hindered his dangerously curling lips, giving his smile and unfortunate, crooked appearance.

"That's impossible," Ludwig insisted, unable to wrench his eyes from the chilling sight. "You're… there is only one Deutschland!"

"Oh really?" He lowered himself until his long, pointed nose almost met its twin perched upon the German's sweat drenched face. "Listen to you, who was so ready to believe in something so childish as a doppelgänger. You're weak and useless, and my children deserve better."

"M-my children…"

"My children." The other drew away and fiddled with a hauntingly familiar armband where it was pinned to his jacket sleeve. "You understand what's happening to the government I trust? Of course, if you're anything like me, you know all too well."

"You're with his party?"

The imposter struck a mocking pose, his right arm raised imperiously as his violet-tinted gaze jeered openly. "It's such a shame, too. You're a perfect specimen of his master race."

"There's no such thing as-!"

The hand flashed down and beat the words from his mouth, sending them falling across the ground like bloodied teeth. "This is proof. Your disregard to our cause is proof that you want your people to fail."

"This leader is mad!"

"This leader is making Deutschland great," he corrected sharply. "Isn't that what you want? For yourself? For 'your' children?"

"Not at this price."

"Price?" Now he bared his teeth, the scar on his cheek seeming to twist his expression into one much more grotesque. "I'll show you price – do you not remember that bastard Francis demanding our payment? Do you not remember our children starving without the dignity to stand up straight?"

Face resting in the dirt so that the powdery grains tickled his nose as he inhaled, Ludwig felt himself snapping beneath a combination of the pressure the other was heaping upon him and the constant, maddening anguish that drove into him like trillions of red-hot thumbscrews. "N-no… I remember."

"Do you feel this pain?" the other continued, taking the opportunity to drive his heel down between the nation's shoulder blades. "This is the pain of my children because of fools like you who cling to the weak, lesser Deutschland!"

Beneath the heavy boot, he could feel his ribs bruising. Down, down, down it pushed until it was drawn up only to meet his back with a jarring crunch.

"Augh!"

Teasing lavender eyes reveled in his tortured cries, tearing into him with their unadulterated disgust. "You're an absolute disgrace to your bloodline and your nation, and it would be best if you would just disappear."

The searing agony in which Ludwig writhed was so great that he barely noticed when the handgun was drawn and was almost grateful when the bullet bit through his brow.